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 Automation your way

We help food manufacturers automate

We’re here to make food manufacturing profitable, sustainable and safe.

AI, automation and robotics are transforming manufacturing, and we’re here to help.

We’re a market-leading technology and system integration business founded in Peterborough, UK, in 1993.

Right date code and packaging

Remove the risk of costly errors and product recalls from your business with a single automation partner.

Our market-leading AI Label Verification and Autocoding systems are installed on over 1,200 packing lines, ensuring full compliance with retailers' codes of practice to prevent product recalls while boosting efficiency.

Once protected, food manufacturers can achieve fast payback using proven modules to add OEE productivity measurement, connectivity to line equipment, paperless quality checks, traceability and SCADA integration.

OAL: A Trusted Partner in Worldwide Fruit’s SMART Industry Journey

OAL is proud to support Worldwide Fruit achieve their automation plans, guiding them in their transition to digital solutions that optimise efficiency and quality across their operations.

Worldwide Fruit, a leader in the fresh produce industry, is leveraging cutting-edge automation to ensure their products consistently meet the highest standards for accuracy in labeling, packaging, and quality.

In 2020, we deployed a label and date code verification system that replaced their manual, paper-based processes with a modern, digital solution. Following this, OAL integrated their ERP system with Redzone, further streamlining their operations and enabling real-time visibility and control over their production processes.

We provide comprehensive onboarding and 24/7 support, ensuring seamless operation at every stage of their automation journey.

Digital Transformation

Manage complexity and digitalise your operations by integrating your systems and machines togehter. Build a robust and scalable operational backbone with the Ignition SCADA/MES platform.

Connect your ERP to your manufacturing operations and create a single source of truth in your business. Integrate your production machinery, packaging devices and other applications. Then crunch the data with AI for powerful results.

Choose OAL as your System Integration partner on your Industry 4.0 journey!

Automate complex powder weighing

Secure quality and overcome labour shortages by automating your pre-weigh and “making” processes.

Automatically store over 100 raw materials and accurately dose 500,000 additions per year direct from your ERP.

Dose to an accuracy of +/- 0.5% on additions from 100g to 50kg.

The APRIL Weighing System automatically weighs out powders and liquids to a recipe, creating the perfect premix or direct addition into a mixer/vessel.

Latest case studies

Discover how OAL has helped market-leading food manufacturers automate.

Featured
ADM Milling UK - Smooth upgrade of production-critical 1980s control panel
ADM Milling UK - Smooth upgrade of production-critical 1980s control panel

ADM Milling is a market leader for flour and bakery ingredients with a strong reputation for product quality, technical support and customer service. At their Corby mill, OAL has seamlessly upgraded and modernised production-critical control panels, achieving zero unplanned plant downtime - a notable achievement given the complexities involved.

Edwards the Welsh Butcher, UK - Eliminate errors with OAL's AI-Driven Label and Date Code Verification System 
Edwards the Welsh Butcher, UK - Eliminate errors with OAL's AI-Driven Label and Date Code Verification System 

As a fast-growing leader in the high-quality convenience meats industry, Edwards needed to ensure the correct application of labels and date codes on its expanding range of award-winning products. OAL automated their manual processes with a state-of-the-art, AI-driven label and date code verification system that has been critical in Edwards growth plans.

Worldwide Fruit, UK - Stopping human error with automated product label verification
Worldwide Fruit, UK - Stopping human error with automated product label verification

Worldwide Fruit is a growing £200+ million turnover fruit marketing and distribution business. Quality is critical to their customers, and they wanted a solution that could scale across their complex operations handling thousands of SKUs from over 1,000 global growers. OAL has helped Worldwide Fruit automate to ensure all its products have the right date code, right packaging and country of origin.

Wealmoor, UK - Improving Quality with Automation
Wealmoor, UK - Improving Quality with Automation

Wealmoor has built a reputation for specialty fruit and vegetables, supplying high-volume, high-quality produce every week. Across their UK factories, they have automated their date coding and packaging processes with the OAL Connected system including Autocoding and APRIL Eye functionality. Going digital has enabled them to eliminate product packaging and quality issues and significantly reduce food waste.

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Latest insights

Featured
Kick off your promotions with confidence
Kick off your promotions with confidence

In the consumer goods industry, the ability to swiftly and accurately update packaging for seasonal events. Automated label verification systems, such as those offered by OAL, play a vital role in managing these changes efficiently.

9 key benefits of ERP Integration with your Packaging Line
9 key benefits of ERP Integration with your Packaging Line

Digital transformation within fresh produce and food manufacturing businesses requires enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration with manufacturing and shopfloor operations

Five challenges to running a profitable fresh produce business...and how automation can help 
Five challenges to running a profitable fresh produce business...and how automation can help 

Fresh produce businesses are facing a “perfect storm of challenges” tackling erratic weather and soaring input costs exacerbated by shocks including Brexit, Covid and the cost-of-living crisis. Discover how automation helps fresh produce businesses succeed.

Top 10 AI Verification Quality Checks for Food Packaging
Top 10 AI Verification Quality Checks for Food Packaging

AI has the potential to transform every process in every industry; the secret is not to simply view it as what manual processes can AI replace, but how AI can transform what you do.

Digitalisation Is The Secret To Traceability - Right First Time Ingredients Drives Finished Product Quality
Digitalisation Is The Secret To Traceability - Right First Time Ingredients Drives Finished Product Quality
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6 Ways To Make Cooking Soups and Sauces More Efficient In Food Manufacturing

Efficiency, taste, and sustainability are paramount in food manufacturing, particularly when producing soups and sauces. Traditional methods often fall short, being labor-intensive and energy-consuming. Discover how Steam Infusion can redefine your production metrics—reach out to the OAL team today.

Breaking The Myths of Robots in Powder Weighing
Breaking The Myths of Robots in Powder Weighing

Our focus in this blog is to challenge the myths preventing the adoption of robotic automation in powder weighing and handling. Fear of the unknown and failure often deter progress, but by confronting these misconceptions, we can ease the path towards inevitable automation across various industries.

Meet Harry Norman.jpg
Meet Harry

Celebrate OAL's 30th anniversary by getting to know our founder, Harry Norman. A visionary who fell in love with robotics, Harry saw its potential in the food and beverage industry and founded OAL at just 28. His knack for innovation led to groundbreaking solutions like OAL Connected and Steam Infusion, transforming food manufacturing. Today, Harry's passion for robotics and automation continues to drive OAL's success.

Top 5 Reasons to Automate Powder Weighing
Top 5 Reasons to Automate Powder Weighing

Self-contained pods capable of storing 100+ raw materials, along with a central robot for automatic ingredient selection, weighing, and pouring, have digitalized and modernized the crucial Powder Weighing step in manufacturing. This automation offers key benefits you should be aware of.

Pre-Weigh Automation is Key to Resolving Labour and Safety Challenges in Personal Care Manufacturing
Pre-Weigh Automation is Key to Resolving Labour and Safety Challenges in Personal Care Manufacturing

Personal care manufacturing has two big problems on its hands: not enough workers and the need for safer working conditions. These issues meet head-on in pre-weigh operations - an area that hasn't seen much digital change yet. 

This key area of production, traditionally reliant on manual labour, has its fair share of safety concerns and efficiency issues. However, there's a clear answer to these challenges: automation. 

Why Every F&B Manufacturer Needs Automated Packaging & Labelling Alongside Date Code Checks
Why Every F&B Manufacturer Needs Automated Packaging & Labelling Alongside Date Code Checks

As a responsible food and drink manufacturer, you understand the significance of delivering safe and trustworthy products to consumers worldwide. Customers trust your brand to give them safe, tasty products, and they want to know they can trust what's on the label. That’s why automated packaging and label verification alongside date code checks play a crucial role, serving as your dedicated quality control team to guarantee perfection.

5 Compelling Reasons to Prioritise Pre-Weigh Automation in Your Next Personal Care Digitalisation Initiative
5 Compelling Reasons to Prioritise Pre-Weigh Automation in Your Next Personal Care Digitalisation Initiative

Industry 4.0's wave is reshaping the personal care sector, merging the digital and physical worlds to create smart factories. However, this digitalisation journey often neglects a crucial stage - pre-weigh operations, which remain labour-intensive and unchanged. As part of the industry's nascent digitisation, it's crucial to prioritise pre-weigh operations automation, providing a springboard towards operational excellence.

Protecting Workers' Health: The Call for Powder Handling Automation in Food Manufacturing
Protecting Workers' Health: The Call for Powder Handling Automation in Food Manufacturing

The food industry is constantly evolving, and companies that recognise the importance of worker safety and well-being are leading the way. However, protecting workers from the risks of powder exposure has always been a challenging task. Often, traditional solutions to these risks are not practical or cost-effective. Fortunately, with the advent of robotics and automation, a solution is now available.

The Future of Food Safety: How Robotic Automation is Taking on Food Contamination
The Future of Food Safety: How Robotic Automation is Taking on Food Contamination

The use of robotics and automation is gaining immense popularity in the food and beverage industry, with the potential to revolutionise how food is produced, processed, and delivered. Automation systems are playing a pivotal role in reducing the risk of contamination by minimising human intervention and improving product traceability.

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Auger vs. Robotic Powder Dosing: Exploring the Future of Powder Handling Technology

Precise dosing and handling of powders is critical in ensuring product quality and consistency in batch manufacturing. Auger-based powder dosing has been the go to technology for many years but robotic powder dosing is revolutionising how powders are dosed and handled. Here we will compare these two technologies, examining their advantages and limitations, to help you decide when choosing the right powder dosing solution for your application.

The Three Critical Ingredients for Automation Success in the Fresh Produce Industry
The Three Critical Ingredients for Automation Success in the Fresh Produce Industry

With 30 years of experience helping food companies automate, we have identified three key ingredients for success: starting with the end in mind, building internal capability with time to play and test technology, and choosing a software platform over a product.

The Future of Powder Handling Health & Safety: Robotics Takes the Lead
The Future of Powder Handling Health & Safety: Robotics Takes the Lead

If you’re in the bakery business, you’ll already be familiar with the many health & safety considerations that must be monitored and mitigated. There are the usual ones that come with any industrial facility, but there are a whole host of those specific to the powders and dust and how to protect your operators, without a simple and cost-effective solution. But that’s where robotics comes in.

How much does a label and date code verification system cost?
How much does a label and date code verification system cost?

We take you through the factors that affect the price of a label and date code verification system. Every business has its own requirements, so a single price can’t cover every packaging line scenario but by the end of this article you will have a solid understanding of the factors that drive cost.

Top 7 reasons for switching to robotics
Top 7 reasons for switching to robotics

Many industries have yet to take advantage of robotics. Yet there is so much that’s ripe for automation, particularly when it comes to automating processing tasks. Here we outline the top 7 reasons for switching to robots in your processing.

Can robots replicate the flexibility of operators?
Can robots replicate the flexibility of operators?

For a number of years now robots have been employed on the production and packaging lines. But what about robots in processing? Automation has been largely under-utilised in this area as humans have traditionally offered the greatest flexibility, but is this still the case? Here we explain how robots are more than up to the task.